Two truckers ticketed in crash that closed 42 miles of I-10

WHISKEY BAY - State Police ticketed two truck drivers after a crash they caused created a 42-mile long blockade of I-10 Wednesday.

The drivers of two semis were cited with following too close. They collided with each other in a wreck that also involved a pick-up at the westbound exit for the Atchafalaya Welcome Center on the I-10 Basin Bridge. The wreck happened in St. Martin Parish.

The crash forced authorities to close westbound lanes of the Basin Bridge at Highway 415 in West Baton Rouge for just more than two hours during the Wednesday evening rush. By the time the interstate was fully opened, traffic reached the Bluebonnet exit - 42 miles east of where the crash happened.

A nearly thirty-mile stretch of I-10 was closed between Baton Rouge and Lafayette during the height of the crash investigation and cleanup. Traffic was diverted to Hwy. 190.

Troopers said the two 18-wheelers were following too close to one another when the first one stopped short in traffic and the other slammed into the back of it, also crushing the pick-up. Amazingly, there were no serious injuries.

It took all of Wednesday evening to get traffic flowing smoothly again.*************Follow the publisher of this post on Twitter: @treyschmaltz